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Michele Babcock-Nice

I enjoy blogging about many different issues, including those of local, regional, and national interest, as well as personal experiences, family ancestry, education, religion, politics, and social justice matters. My local area is Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

I feel sorry for people with road rage. (Retrieved January 3, 2017 from politicalcartoons.com)

This morning, I experienced the worst situation of road rage in my life from a man in Lilburn, Georgia. This man should absolutely be ashamed of his abominable conduct; I definitely feel sorry for someone so enraged by a situation he actually created, deliberately placing both us of at risk of harm.

Driving toward Five Forks Trickum Road in Lilburn on Martin Nash Road, a dark-colored hybrid car, GA tag PVG 7307, pulled out in front of me at the last moment from Dearwood Drive. While I was oncoming at 50 mph, this man apparently assumed that I was able to slow down or stop for him to turn. Or, he wanted me to collide with him. Anyone who drives a truck or SUV knows that one cannot stop on a dime, on slick, wet roads, at 50 mph. So, this is a man who placed me and himself at risk, as well as any other oncoming drivers. He turned out in front of me with such little distance between us that I was forced to pass or would have rear-ended his vehicle.

Continuing onward, this man flashed his lights as he raced to catch up with me, and then, attempted to cut me off as we transitioned into the turn lane. Approaching the traffic light, this man has rolled down his window and is yelling and swearing at me from behind me, making hand gestures, and blaring his horn. When the traffic light changed, I turned onto Five Forks Trickum Road and stopped in the median to allow him to pass. Still with the same behavior, this man pulls up next to me and stopped traffic behind him; I let him eventually pass and so did the driver behind me who stayed some distance behind us. Finally, this man decided to drive away and not wait for myself or other vehicles to follow. Taking his license plate number, I called 911 and reported this incident. What was his problem?!

Again, never in my life have I experienced such a severe situation of road rage. Is it becoming the norm for older white men to become enraged and be unable to control themselves behind the wheel, and believe it is okay to harass and terrorize women when no one else is around? I am a courteous driver, but I also do what I believe is the most safe course of action in the moment. If that means passing someone who pulled out in front of me at the last moment, rather than rear-ending them, then that’s what I’ll do. Anyone with any sense would have first waited for me to drive by, and not turn out as I’m oncoming. Further, once I passed this man, had he any sense, he would have realized that this was the best course of action I could have taken to protect both of us.

I will not be intimidated by idiots on the road who place lives at risk, whether mine, theirs, or those of others. I will, however, pull over, let them pass, and call the police. Too many people drive dangerously on the road, and I experienced the worst of this type of situation this morning. My record reflects that I have a history of being a safe, defensive driver. Therefore, when the severity of the situation reaches a level to what I experienced today, it becomes important to me to make of record of it and inform other drivers for their own safety and protection. Beware!

The cold is no joke! The biggest weather – and news – event occurring during the past couple of days has been the 2014 Polar Vortex that has swept across the United States. Extremely frigid polar air from the Arctic has dipped down to the Deep South of the US. This morning, January 7, 2014, in Snellville, Georgia, near Atlanta, where I live, the temperature at 7:00 AM was 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and that’s without including the wind chill factor! Already at around 9:00 PM this evening, the temperature was back down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit after reaching a high of about 25 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon at about 3:30 PM! One online news article (Henry, 2014) reported that temperatures around parts of the US are colder than those currently in Antarctica!

It is definitely true that people – especially those folks in the South who are not accustomed to such icy temperatures – may not be entirely aware of the dangers of extreme cold. Regarding myself, being originally from the Buffalo, New York area, I know about the cold, the dangers of it, and know not to take any unnecessary risks, nor to potentially place myself or others in danger in such frigidly cold weather. Extreme cold can cause frostbite, hypothermia, and/or death. It is not something with which to play around or take chances.

I am an individual who remembers the Blizzard of 1977 where I lived in Collins, New York. I was 6-years-old at the time, and in the first grade. Even at such a young age, it was exciting for my brother and I to remain at home for two straight weeks due to the school closures related to the Blizzard conditions. I recall and have photographs that my parents took of my brother and I standing atop snow drifts that were as high as the roof of our garage. Similar drifts created by snow plows clearing snow from the roads caused rises of snow that were of the same height. Once the blizzard conditions passed, it was fun to play outside in the snow for awhile, but not long enough to get too cold.

In my mid-teens, there was a time when I believed I could outsmart Mother Nature by going out and riding snowmobile in temperatures that were less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and with wind chills of about -20 degrees Fahrenheit. I promised that I would not be gone long, and was not riding for more than one hour when I returned home and was unable to feel my left hand. I had decided to return when my toes and feet began tingling, but did not realize that I had already lost sensation in my hand. I only realized it upon taking off my glove upon entering the house, remembering that I could not feel anything in my hand. It was the beginning of frostbite. Thankfully, it was not serious, and my mom saw to it that my hand was warmed carefully and quickly. However, it is an experience that I have always remembered, and no longer take risks in the extreme cold with Mother Nature.

What is tricky in the South is that it can be frigidly cold, but there not be a speck of snow on the ground. For me, coming from Buffalo, that is always a big disappointment. When there is cold, I have always come to expect snow to accompany it. However, that is rarely the case in the South. And, that is something that can fool people into a false sense of security. Simply because there is no snow on the ground does not necessarily mean that it is not cold – or even frigidly cold, as it has been here for the past couple of days now. One must get bundled up if going outside, must not remain outside for very long, and must be assured of having a warm place to go – or even emergency measures to use – if one’s vehicle breaks down or if one’s utilities stop working in one’s home, for examples.

Also, what I noticed this afternoon when I went out to run a couple of quick errands was that people on the road are impatient with other drivers. For goodness sakes, it is COLD outside! I was out and about for only 20 minutes or so, and within that time, there were already two drivers who honked their horns at other drivers who were stopped at traffic lights, and who did not resume driving quickly enough for them once the traffic light changed from red to green. People are not used to the cold. Vehicles are not used to the cold. And, people need to give each other more understanding and be more patient in extreme weather events such as this. The buses may be off the roads because schools are closed, however that does not mean that some folks are entitled to race down the empty speedway through the city. People should be more cautious and careful, and give each other more consideration in situations such as this. That is definitely the intelligent thing to do.

So, be careful out there in the cold. And, don’t go out into it if you don’t have to. Bundle yourself up, make sure there are extra blankets in your vehicle – and for many, a shovel and even hot packs. People who are used to the cold such as skiers and snowmobilers from the North such as myself know these things. Listen to your body when you are out in the cold. And, better yet, listen to your brain. Stay inside where it is warm unless you have to go out. Don’t take any unnecessary risks, or place yourself or others in potential danger. Hopefully, you have some food stocked up, or if you don’t, get some when the temperatures have risen during the day. Stay warm, stay healthy, stay inside as much as possible!